Sally Carson, Katherine Dunning, and the weather – welcome to episode 141!
In the first half, Rachel and I discuss significant weather scenes in novels, and whether knowing about the weather in novels makes a difference to us. In the second half, we compare two very different novels from 1934, both recently republished: Crooked Cross by Sally Carson (reissued by Persephone) and The Spring Begins by Katherine Dunning (reissued by the British Library).
Here is the LitHub article about rain in novels: lithub.com/the-best-rain-in-literature
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The books and authors we mention in this episode are:
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
All The Little Live Things by Wallace Stegner
William Maxwell
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
August Blue by Deborah Levy
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Braided Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Position of Spoons by Deborah Levy
Autocorrect by Etgar Keret
Suddenly, A Knock On The Door by Etgar Keret
The Five Good Years by Etgar Keret
Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forster
Emma by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Dark Like Under by Alice Chadwick
Heatwave by Penelope Lively
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead by Barbara Comyns
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Landscape in Sunlight by Elizabeth Fair
Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield
To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Between The Acts by Virginia Woolf
The Years by Virginia Woolf
Funny Weather by Olivia Laing
The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch
The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
The Five Year Sentence by Bernice Rubens
Other People by Celia Dale
‘One of the most widely-read and quoted novels of the twentieth century begins with the weather: “‘It was a bright cold day in April,…’”
It takes a turn after that.
I hope you both like the Rubens!
The first Iris Murdoch I read was A Fairly Honourable Defeat – that would be a good choice, I think.
It’s been many years since I read Little Women, but the scene between Jo and the Professor, sheltering beneath the umbrella, in rhe rain, came to mind almost immediately, when you spoke of the impact of weather in literature.
I very much enjoyed the discussion of different weather conditions – that question proved to be a very bouncy springboard and trigger for memories of several scenes in books I have enjoyed reading. I have definitely noticed that I tend to be drawn to read books seasonally – The Woods in Winter for December would not appeal as a book for summer.
Thinking about this, led me on to reflect how my mood also influences my reading and I wondered if this would work in the same way, or perhaps very differently, for other readers. When we are feeling despondent do we want books that reflect this or books that cheer us up – or a mixture? I can’t remember if there is already a tea or books question on this?
On a similar note, I wondered how much our stage of life and current challenges affect our reading choices? Do we still like coming of age stories as much as we age, or are we increasingly drawn to books featuring older characters? Just pondering; It shows how stimulating I find your conversations!
I read both books for this episode. I have never found it so difficult to choose! Rachel solved the dilemma perfectly. I agree with her reasoning 100%. I have already persuaded my husband to read Crooked Cross and I was very pleased to see it has been read as Book at Bedtime on Radio 4.
Looking forward to the next teaorbooks. I had never come across Bernice Rubens before but now want to plug that gap as A Five Year Sentence’s premise has intrigued me! I also need to steel myself and be brave enough to read a Celia Dale!
What a fun episode! These books both sound wonderful and I’m now very eager to read them both. Now that you mention it, it DOES seem like weather is pretty important in books! I know it’s super important in my own life but that’s partly bc so much of my life is consumed by youth sports in this life stage – ha!
I feel so bad because I just went to Powell’s in July and I bought four books by William Maxwell. I’m afraid I cleaned them out just before Rachel got there!! However, they were all paperbacks so maybe that wasn’t what she was looking for?? I’ll hope!
Thanks for another wonderfully engaging episode :)
I would still go to the wall to defend Iris Murdoch’s novels. They’re so many and various and she certainly changes over time, but I gravitate to the long later ones, particularly The Philosopher’s Pupil, The Book and the Brotherhood, Nuns and Soldiers, and The Green Knight. I’d agree with Simon about The Sea, The Sea (how did this win the Booker prize?) but for an earlier entry maybe The Nice and the Good?
I’ve been working my way through all her novels over time – I prefer to space them out. There is a sort of existentialist crisis/middle-class farce aspect to most of them (people are always popping up unexpectedly, running around randomly, and falling in love inappropriately) and certain re-occurring themes to look out for.
As well as The Nice and the Good, I’d also suggest Under the Net and The Unicorn as good ones to try.
Simon, have you read Niall Williams? I’m loving Time of the Child as much as I loved This is Happiness. They are both set in Ireland so of course rain features in both.
Weather and setting is important to me in books. I also like to read seasonly and much prefer it if the book I am reading fits the season I am in. Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache books are always very evocative of season. In terms of weather, The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder sticks in my mind in the way she creates such a feeling of isolation when the newly developing town of De Smet in what was Dakota Territory is cut off by persistent blizzards which last from October through to April. This is one of the ‘Little House’ series of books but stands out from the others as it feels more adult in style as she details the sheer challenge of trying not to starve or freeze. It’s definitely one to read in front of a warm fire!